Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday came down on the Opposition for spreading propaganda against the BJP-led NDA. He asserted that they have “crushed” the spirit of the Constitution and rejected all democratic norms.
While addressing party workers in Bhubaneswar, Modi said that the opposition has only one aim, “to somehow capture power by misleading people”.
“Those who consider power as their birthright have not been in power at the Centre for the last decade… The spirit of the Constitution is crushed (by them), all the norms of democracy are rejected,” he said in an apparent dig at the opposition.
The prime minister said it is quite natural that there would be ideological differences among political parties on different issues, and that they have the right to express their views and resort to agitations.
“But now, one can feel, there has been a big change as attempts are being made to tarnish the image of our democracy and the Constitution,” said Modi.
“Denied of power for the last decade, such parties are now filled with so much anger that they do not hesitate to conspire against the country and its people. They are misleading people with lies and rumours,” he said.
Modi noted that such false propaganda is a big challenge for people of India, and BJP workers and “those who love the country and respect the Constitution should foil such attempts and expose the lies”.
PM Modi further hit out at the Opposition’s “Chowkidar” remarks, stating that the “power-hungry” people always lie and if one of it doesn’t work, they come up with a bigger lie.
“These power-hungry people have only lied to the public. When one of their lies does not work on people, they fabricate a bigger lie. They do the same to give false assurance to their workers also…In 2019, the ‘chowkidar’ was a thief for them (referring to Congress-led opposition), but the same ‘chowkidar’ became honest by 2024, and they haven’t abused him since then. They only want to befool people and regain power,” he said.
Till a few months before the elections, some big political experts were completely rejecting the BJP in Odisha. These people were saying that the BJP cannot become such a big force in Odisha that it can form the government on its own strength. But when the results came, these people were surprised. Because the work of the BJP government at the Centre for the people of Odisha and the sense of affinity it maintained with the people of Odisha even while sitting in Delhi, had reached every household in Odisha,” he said.
The Prime Minister highlighted the significance of Odisha hosting a series of high-profile events. “Following the DG-IG meet, Puri will host Navy Day celebrations on December 4, followed by Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in January 2025,” he stated.
Modi emphasized that Odisha will be at the centre of the entire Pacific region, with the events being held with greater grandeur than the G-20 meet. He encouraged the state to make it a spectacular event, showcasing Odisha’s cleanliness and beauty to the world.
Modi is on a three-day visit to Odisha to attend the All India Conference of Director Generals/ Inspector Generals of Police 2024 which will begin in Bhubaneswar from November 30.
